The construction freeze implemented by the government is placing a stranglehold on young couples, having a major negative impact on two communities, the chareidim and residents of yishuvim – dati leumi, which Baruch Hashem continue reporting increasing population growth.

Last week, YWN-Israel reported the PA (Palestinian Authority) collected and destroyed Ahava Dead Sea products as efforts to increase the boycott of Israeli products increases. PA officials report they are indeed cracking down, seeking to halt the importation and sale of Israeli products in autonomous areas.

Now it appears that the PA is taking another step, seeking to place a stranglehold on the Israeli construction industry. According to an Arutz-7 report filed by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu, there are some 22,000 Arab laborers working throughout Yehuda and Shomron, and the PA now plans to avail itself of funds towards finding them alternative employment, a move that could bring construction to a halt. They will be using funds taken from a $64 million World Bank grant.

While on the surface this could be devastating, stopping any remaining work that is approved throughout Yehuda and Shomron, if the government remains firm and refuses to grant permits for additional foreign laborers, it may result in an increase in the pay scale in the construction industry and provide badly-needed jobs for the Jewish sector, which today is not seen as being an integral component in construction.

Jewish contractors routinely insist they prefer to hire Jews for as laborers, but “no one wishes to work”, rarely completing the sentence that they are paying a minimum wage, resulting in unattractive job opportunities that will not permit a worker to support a family.

In the absence of any alternative workforce, construction company owners and contractors may be compelled to increase the salary, which may lead to Jews taking such jobs and ousting PA residents from the construction industry.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)